Mother's Day

05-13-2018Pastor's LetterRev. John C. Granato

My Dear Friends,

Today in the secular world we celebrate Mother's Day. Setting aside one day a year for mothers does not seem like enough. Thankfully, in our church, we honor and celebrate mothers every day as we honor our Blessed Mother by praying the daily rosary. The months of May and October also serve to recognize our Blessed Mother. And we also have three holy days of obligation set aside for our Blessed Mother as well as countless feasts and memorials throughout the liturgical year. Honoring our Blessed Mother is important for she is the one who said "yes" to God in order to bring forth the Savior of the world. Mary is both virgin and mother. Mary's life of virtue is exemplary, and it is due to her life of virtue and the fact that she is co-redemptrix and mediatrix that we receive many graces through her intercession.

Of course, no one has a mother that can compare to the Blessed Mother. All fall short. But everyone in this church has a mother. And most think fondly of their mother. Most are eternally grateful for their mother and the gift of life that she has given each one of us. There are also mothers who have dedicated their lives to raising a child or children that were not born from them, but their selflessness in raising the child or children is no less special. But we also pray in a special way for all those who have lost their mothers or did not have a good relationship with their mother. For some people, this secular holiday is a reminder of a painful time. For others, it is a time to remember our mothers and to visit or call them. And in all cases, our Blessed Mother is there to be our mother as well. Even if it is only once a year, it does our society good to honor our mothers, for a mother's love is precious. It is she who carries the gift of life in her womb, a gift that we pray has been conceived in love, but a gift nonetheless.

On this Mother's Day, let us not only pray for all our mothers but also for our men who are responsible for making a woman a mother, that these men remember the virtues of chastity and purity and to recognize the inherent dignity of the female person, a person to be honored and cherished. Happy Mother's Day.